Sweeter than Chocolate
by RedPandaLove111
Summary: Reflecting on his feelings for a certain camper, DJ is working in the kitchen when he's surprised by that particular camper herself. Feelings are revealed...and DJ experiences something sweeter than chocolate. T just to be safe. One-shot.


DJ absently swirled the wooden spoon through the metallic bowl's steaming soupy contents, his head propped in the palm of his hand, his dark brown eyes far away and unseeing. He jerked upright when his sensitive palm brushed against the searing hot metal and flinched, shaking the limb to try and ease the sharp stab of pain, but, all the while, his thoughts were still whipping around his head like a mental tornado. He gazed back into the chunky liquid once more, not seeing the soup, but, instead, a pale, beautiful face blinking up at him, dark eyes bemused, lips a perfect shade of teal, midnight black and equally teal colored bangs streaking across the side of her forehead…

Memories and recollections blazed through his mind before he could stop them. Him comforting her during her hostile time on the Aftermath show…them exchanging high-fives…her grinning and acknowledging DJ as 'sweet'…and, finally, him pushing her out of the way of the falling anvil and experiencing what it felt like to have her in his broad arms.

A sudden, sharp whistle shattered his thoughts. The kettle on the stove was blazing and hollering- clouds of steam poured from its spout and the lid was rattling with rather obnoxious clanks. Wincing at the noise, he scampered over to it, quickly flipped the heat off, slid on gloves with practiced expertise, and moved the steaming hot kettle over to the counter, where it seemed to audibly relax. He sighed, shook his head, and stripped off his mitts, placing them atop each other before returning his attention back to stirring the pot of soup.

He was so careless in the kitchen nowadays- he knew why, too, but he'd never admit it, even to himself. All the mistakes he'd made had been humiliating; he'd burnt toast, turned scrambled eggs into sticky mush, ruined pancakes, demolished waffles, and committed several other offenses only a newbie in the kitchen would commit. Thinking of this, he glanced up and wasn't surprised to see black clouds of smoke emitting from the microwave. How had he managed to screw up a Hot Pocket?! He slid it from the microwave and tossed it into the trash- his little snack was worthless now. Though the color of the smoke set his mind drifting again, leading him to think about her. About the girl he'd never even dreamed of thinking of as more than a friend. Gwen.

Even when he merely thought of her name, his cheeks would glow a soft red. He hadn't experienced anything so intense before- he'd never had much experience with girls and had shied away from them, so a crush wasn't something he'd had in…well, forever. However, he was vaguely aware of the feelings one got when inflicted with a crush.

And this…this felt like more.

The wooden spoon slipped from his fingers and disappeared into the broiling broth before resurfacing and bobbing ever so lightly. DJ groaned, annoyed and yet amused with himself, and cautiously reached his hand in to grab it, wincing as the shockingly hot soup embraced his tender skin.

"Well, that's a new way to stir soup." A bemused voice caught his ears and he straightened up immediately in surprise, almost jumping. His heart caught, stopped for an instant, then started back up again almost hesitantly. There she was, leaning casually against the counter. Gwen.

"G-Geez!" He laughed, embarrassingly, feeling his face glow yet again as he snuck a look at her. She was slumped over the counter, elbows rested on it, eyebrows quirked, eyes amused, a casual smile on her face, and bangs covering her forehead, as per the norm. "You scared the crud out of me, Gwen."

"Yeah, well," Gwen shrugged her shoulders. "I do that to people." She eyed his forearm halfway in the pot and looked at him with mild curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "So, uh. What're /you/ doing?"

He blushed again and dropped his gaze back to his arm, covered in soup and chunks of vegetables. "I dropped the spoon, so I was, um, trying to get it." He shrugged his broad shoulders, chuckling nervously.

"I figured." Gwen grinned and cupped her face in her palm, watching DJ fish about for aforementioned kitchen utensil. Her presence made him yet even more nervous and jumpy.

"Hey, Deej?" She spoke up after a minute or two of comfortable (on her half, at least) silence. "You all right? You've been so jumpy and paranoid lately. Not to mention clumsy, no offense." A half-smile curved her lips up. "Particularly in here. I think Owen's gonna come in soon and stage a protest."

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just…lost in thought, I guess." He found himself biting his lower lip gently as he continued to hunt for the bobbing spoon that just kept slipping from his grip. He'd never been so nervous around her before- it was frightening.

Seeing him bite his lip with such intensity, both of Gwen's eyebrows rose again, one disappearing into her bangs. "You helped me out when I was done, so let me return the favor. Think of me as your personal therapist. What's up?" She leaned over the counter.

DJ paused, staring into the soup, catching his breath quickly, deciding to spill his issue before his cowardice could stop him. "Say, uh, hypothetically, if you had a crush on someone, and couldn't work up the nerve to tell them, and it's….the first crush you've had, and you don't know what to do…what would you do?" The words came tumbling out in a rush, not as articulate as he'd wanted them to be. He grimaced to himself- smooth, DJ. Smooth.

Gwen pondered his words for a second, then the realization hit her. She straightened in surprise. "Let me think- you've got a crush?" She inquired knowingly, a smile playing across her lips again. "That's sweet, Deej." She tacked on genuinely.

DJ flushed, his dark cheeks turning a brilliant red. "Y-Yeah," He managed, finally latching onto the spoon, pulling it from the chunky soup. His hand and forearm were both drenched with the stuff.

Gwen tilted her head to the side. "If I were you, Deej," She said, almost thoughtfully, "I'd just be myself. I mean, c'mon. You're kind, friendly, dependable, reliable, and a great cook." She grinned. "Plus you give amazing hugs. If the girl you like can't see those things about you, then, frankly, she isn't worth your time."

"I-well-that's-I don't-" He stammered, once more sinking his teeth into his lower lip, at a loss for words.

"Do you know this girl very well?"

"Y-Yeah."

Gwen leaned back in the stool she'd dragged up to the counter and plopped herself on, raising her eyebrows again. "Hmm. And does this girl like you?"

"I-I think so, as a friend, I mean." Oh, he was so bad at this! He looked down at the drenched wooden spoon he held clutched in his fist.

"She's not Izzy, is she?" Gwen laughed, flat-out guessing, but also trying to get a grasp on who could be the girl DJ liked without bluntly 'ordering' him to tell her.

DJ blushed. "Oooh, uh, no," He found himself laughing. "I mean, she's pretty and cool and all, but she's with Owen, and she's definitely not…" He trailed off, searching for the right words, but finding none.

Gwen, however, knew just what he was looking for. "Not your type?" She smirked up at him knowingly.

He flushed again, this time to the very roots of his dark hair. Sheepishly he ducked his head for probably the umpteenth time. "Yeah."

The goth emitted a soft, bemused chuckle. "Thought so. I'm not gonna make you tell me, Deej," She blinked her eyes at him. "'Cause I don't want to force you. I'm just going to keep on guessing until I find out." She leaned back in her chair again and allowed a laugh to escape her lips. "I don't mean to be so intrusive, but the prospect of a guy like you having a crush on someone is sweet." She returned her attention to him again. "Whatever girl you like is bound to be lucky to have you."

He closed his eyes as he turned his back to her and reached for a spice, silently savoring her genuine words. "I'll tell you." He finally turned, the jar in his hand, well aware of how red his face was. "I can trust you."

Gwen looked at him, surprised. "I didn't mean to guilt-trip you into it if that's why-"

"No, no, not that," DJ reassured her with a gentle smile of his own. "I want to tell you." His heart was pounding unevenly in his chest as he gazed at her pale face and their eyes locked. He pulled his gaze away and took a deep breath, summoning whatever scrap of courage he had, and releasing it all in one breath, "It's you, Gwen. I have a crush on you. It's- you're just so- kind and- beautiful- and- and I know you've been through a lot of hurt, but Momma raised me right, and I know I would never hurt you. I would never want to hurt you. You mean too much to me."

A stunned silence spread out and filled the room.

DJ grimaced and covered his red face with both large hands, almost like a little boy would. "I'm sorry- I didn't mean to-"

The sound of chair legs scraping back against tile cut him off, but he didn't remove his hands from his face. The sound of boots against tile had him spreading his fingers just the slightest, allowing him to peek through them, and he saw her standing directly in front of him, ever so close, their bodies almost touching. He closed his fingers again.

"Deej-" Unbeknownst to him, her smile was soft, sweet, genuine- very rare on her lips. "That's- so sweet. But you know-"

"I know." He interrupted swiftly and immediately felt bad for it. "You've got Trent. I just…I had to get it out. I didn't know how much longer I could live with it for," He confessed in a soft whisper, his breezy voice approaching something resembling pain.

His eyes snapped open when he felt delicate fingers wrap around his wrists, tugging his hands away from his face. As he was still startled, he allowed her to do so. Their eyes locked and he turned his face away abruptly- red was definitely a shade of color he was going to have to get used to appearing on his face- the contact she was having with him causing his heart to begin another tap dance.

"DJ, look at me."

He refused.

"DJ."

He finally forced his gaze away from the floor to meet hers yet again and stifled a soft shiver at the intensity of her searching eyes.

"The thing you said about never hurting me? You have no idea how good that feels." Her lips twitched into a smile. "And although I've treated you pretty badly in the past…" The smile slipped from her teal lips. "I regret it. A guy like you doesn't deserve treatment like that. And I regret this; knowing I'm hurting you without intending to."

His eyes widened. "Gwen-"

She shushed him with simply her waiting eyes. As soon as he quieted, she continued. "DJ, if it were to ever not work out between me and Trent- if something were to ever happen- there's no one I'd rather come to than you."

DJ bit his lip gingerly, studying her face as she'd done his just a few minutes prior. "Not…" He began, feeling a bit ridiculous, "Not even Duncan?"

Gwen almost barked laughter. "Not even that juvie. He's Courtney's. No way."

He released his lower lip from between his teeth, aware of how tender the skin now was. "I…really appreciate that, Gwen," He said softly. "But I don't want this- the fact that I- you know- l-like you- to ruin our friendship."

She nodded. "I know what you mean. But I have a feeling it won't." She smiled and lifted herself onto her tip-toes, her lips brushing easily against his cheek. The gentle sensation of her lips on his skin rocked him and his eyes widened- it was so sweet, this kiss, sweeter than anything he'd experienced before.

"I'll see you around, Deej." Gwen lowered herself back onto her heels and smiled at him, her eyes lingering on his face, her hands slipping from his wrists before turning and exiting the kitchen.

He watched her walk away, eyes widened, heart racing, a hand pressed against his cheek where she'd kissed him.

The emotions he was feeling was more vibrant and sweeter than the sweetest chocolate.


End file.
